We are less than two weeks away from the start of school and our fall sports are in full swing. In fact, our women's soccer team picked up a win last night in an exhibition match to start us off on the right foot for the 2011-12 year (see below for more information). It's a GREAT time to be a Rebel. We think you'll agree with that and we hope you enjoy this brief update:

Conference Movement

It looks like the next wave of conference realignment we were all expecting in college athletics may be upon us. What does this mean for UNLV at this time? Nothing is certain and, obviously, there are things that are out of our control. But as a Rebel fan, know our commitment is to position UNLV to be the best UNLV it can be. As of August 17, 2011, our objective is to be the premier school in the Mountain West. We need to be the school setting the standard regardless of who our competition is or what conference we are affiliated with. Excellence is something we must strive for athletically, academically and socially.

2012 in 2012

Over the next few months, you'll see more and more about our "2012 in 2012" Rebel Athletic Fund (RAF) campaign. To compete at the highest level and provide our student-athletes with a great academic and social experience, we must grow the number of members in our development fund. Just one year ago, we were dead last in the Mountain West in number of donors. This was disappointing to discover. While we have grown that number in the past 12 months, one of the major focuses of our department this year is to jump that number nearly 25% during the 2011-12 season alone (from 1,600 members to over 2,012)... We hope you will join us in the effort by either staying committed (if you are already a donor), joining (you can be a member for as low as $100 annually) or referring friends. For more information, visit UNLVRAF.com or call (702) 895-1533... If you want UNLV to be better, this is how you can directly help. THANK YOU.

New UNLVRebels.com

Be sure to check out the updated UNLVRebels.com - the official website of UNLV Athletics. It has a great new design and our communications team is working to provide enhanced editorial content for our fans... Also, look for more short videos to become a part of the coverage as we grow RebelTV on UNLVRebels.com.

Enhanced Rebel Football Coverage on ESPN Radio

For all UNLV football home games this season, ESPN Radio 1100 AM/98.9 FM will begin its coverage of the match-up 90 minutes prior to kickoff. ESPN Radio will broadcast live from Sam Boyd Stadium for one-hour leading into our IMG College pre-game show 30 minutes out (featuring Rebel play-by-play man Jon Sandler and analyst Mike Pritchard)... Rebel fans asked for more coverage and I'd like to thank Lotus Radio, IMG and our communications team for making it happen.

Rebel Football on the Horizon

We are just over two weeks away to football kicking off the season Thursday, Sept. 1 at Wisconsin on ESPN at 5 p.m. PST. We'll head up to Washington State the following Saturday... Please make your plans today to join us for our Home Opener on Saturday, Sept. 17 as we take on Hawaii at 7 p.m. PST at Sam Boyd Stadium... I had a chance to meet with the team last week the day before practice started and they are hungry. In the second year of a new coaching staff, there is much more coaching that can take place and less implementing of systems and changing of cultures. And that will be needed as we will once again have one of the youngest teams in the nation. It still takes 3-4 years in college football to completely change a culture, but the top coaches are able to make that change and we have a top coach in Bobby Hauck. There is not a question in my mind about that... Please make your plans to be out to welcome the guys home on Sept. 17. Tickets are available at UNLVTickets.com or by calling (702) 739-FANS (3267) and season tickets start as low as $75.

Family & Friends Night with Rebel Football

Make your plans today to spend time with family and friends at a Rebel game on Saturday, Sept. 24 as UNLV takes on Southern Utah at 6 p.m. PST. If you have never been to a Rebel Football game, this is a great opportunity. We have a TWO-FOR-ONE ticket offer that night for you to come check out college football... We'll also have a pregame carnival set up for kids as well as allow kids 12-and-under the chance to come on the field after the game. It's going to be a fun night of Rebel Football and we hope you'll check it out.

Rebel Kids Club Event this Saturday Morning

Are your kids members of the Rebel Kids Club? It's a great opportunity for kids eighth grade and younger to become part of the UNLV Athletics family and it's a tremendous value at just $30 per year... We'll be hosting the kickoff event for the Rebel Kids Club this Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to noon at the Cox Pavilion and kids will have a chance to meet student-athletes, play games and receive some fun giveaways. Be sure to join us. Sign up there or visit UNLVKidsClub.com to sign up or find more information on what is included in the membership.

Women's Soccer Wins Exhibition; Opens Season Friday Night

Our women's soccer team picked up a win last night in an exhibition match at home against Dixie State, 1-0. Second-year coach Jen Klein made a great impact in her first season leading the Rebels. We'll open the regular season this weekend (starting Friday at 8:30 p.m. vs. UC Riverside) in the Rebel Classic. Remember, all kids 12-and-under are free to all men's and women's soccer games at UNLV. Adults are just $8... Our men's soccer team - under second-year head coach and former Rebel player Rich Ryerson - opens with an exhibition game this Sunday at San Diego State.

Special Saturday for Volleyball

Our women's volleyball team will hold its annual alumni game this Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Cox Pavilion. The event is free and open to the public. The Rebels will be led this season by veteran head coach Cindy Fredrick, who is in her first year with the program. We hope to see you at the alumni game. It's a chance for kids to see the players up-close and personal... Also, be sure to follow UNLV volleyball sophomore Madeline Westman's blog on UNLVRebels.com this season. Madeline was one of three 2010-11 Mountain West Scholar-Athlete Award winners on the volleyball team last year as she complied an amazing a 3.97 GPA... The team will open the season next week on the road in Colorado.

Blog from Lady Rebel Sandrine Nzeuko

Speaking of blogs from our student-athletes, be sure to check out the blog on UNLVRebels.com from Sandrine Nzeukou. Sandrine is a senior forward for our women's basketball team and is currently attempting to make the Cameroon National Team. She is blogging from her practices in Cameroon.

Runnin' Rebel Excitement

It's so fun to see the excitement of the fan base about the future of the Runnin' Rebel basketball program. The staff has done a tremendous job on the recruiting trail and the long-term prospects for the program are phenomenal... But new head coach Dave Rice will be the first person to tell you how excited he is about our 11 returning scholarship players and the prospects of this season. We return a large group of talented veterans which has won 49 games over the past two seasons and most of the young men have played in the past two NCAA Tournaments as well. In fact, we will return four starters and over 70% of our scoring from last season

As you know, Dave's been busy recruiting top prep players, but he's been just as busy communicating with our current players on a daily basis. He believes in them and can't wait to get on the court with them... As Rebel fans, let's be sure to celebrate the young men who have already given us so much to be proud of in recent seasons and put us in the position to capitalize even more on that success. And it's only going to get better.

Season tickets are available now by calling (702) 739-FANS (3267) or visiting UNLVTickets.com. Come Run with Us this November!

Make it a GREAT Rebel week, fans. Thank you so much for your continued support.
Get Your Reb On!